Note 281 PC/122: UNESCO's Role ref.UNCED unced 7:29 am Mar 4, 1992 From: UNCED Subject: PC/122: UNESCO's Role ref.UNCED PC/122: UNESCO'S ROLE RELATED TO UNCED Distr. GENERAL A/CONF.151/PC/122 14 February 1992 ENGLISH ORIGINAL: ARABIC/CHINESE/ ENGLISH/FRENCH/ RUSSIAN/SPANISH PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR THE UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT Fourth session New York, 2 March-3 April 1992 Item 2 (b) of the provisional agenda* PREPARATIONS FOR THE UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT ON THE BASIS OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION 44/228 AND TAKING INTO ACCOUNT OTHER RELEVANT GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTIONS: RELEVANT ACTIONS OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL AND OTHER BODIES OF RELEVANCE TO THE PREPARATORY PROCESS Note by the Secretary-General of the Conference The Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development has the honour to transmit to the Preparatory Committee for the Conference at its fourth session, pursuant to a request contained in a letter dated 4 December 1991 from the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to the Secretary-General of the Conference, the Declaration on the Role of UNESCO in Relation to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, which was adopted by the UNESCO General Conference at its plenary meeting on 6 November 1991 (see annex). * A/CONF.151/PC/96. ANNEX Declaration on the role of UNESCO in Relation to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development The General Conference welcomes the significant contribution of UNESCO to the preparation of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development and the excellent working arrangements established between the Secretary-General and secretariat of the Conference, and UNESCO. The General Conference emphasizes that UNESCO's areas of competence, particularly education, science and technology, and culture, will be essential for environmentally sound and sustainable development. Through these areas of competence, the organization is uniquely placed to promote intersectoral and interdisciplinary work. More particularly, the General Conference stresses the key role of environmental and developmental education and information, as well as the importance of international scientific cooperation in the natural, basic, engineering and social and human sciences, of relevant national and regional scientific capacity-building, and of technology transfer, particularly in developing countries. Moreover, the General Conference recalls the important role of UNESCO's international scientific bodies and programmes such as IOC, MAB, IHP and IGCP dealing more particularly with oceans and coastal zones, the earth's crust and natural hazards, terrestrial ecosystems and islands, freshwater resources, and biological diversity, including the promotion of the network of biosphere reserves. The Conference also recalls that these programmes benefit from the wide participation of scientists from both developing and developed countries. It notes with satisfaction the technical support provided by UNESCO through these international scientific bodies and programmes to the two intergovernmental negotiating committees for a framework convention on climate change and a convention on biological diversity. It also stresses the need for UNESCO to further strengthen its intersectoral and interdisciplinary approach, particularly in order to put due emphasis on the human dimension of global change. The General Conference therefore expresses its full support for all activities of UNESCO, its IOC and its international scientific programmes, aimed at strengthening the Organization's contribution to the preparation of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. The General Conference feels in particular that UNESCO should play a major role in the implementation of those components of the action programme to be adopted by the Conference, entitled "Agenda 21", which concern education, science and technology, and culture, in relation to environment and development. END OF DOCUMENT ==== ==== ==== ==== ==== ==== ====